Plural lamp sockets



Oct. 25, 1955 z o 2,721,984

PLURAL LAMP SOCKETS Filed June 25, 1954 3 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

United States Patent PLURAL LAMP SOCKETS Moses Zion, Brooklyn, N. Y.,assignor to The Lionel Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation ofNew York Application June 25, 1954, Serial No. 439,344

2 Claims. (Cl. 339-164) The present invention relates to plural lampsockets and is more particularly directed toward die-cast lamp socketssuitable for use with a plurality of pin type lamps to support the sameand form a common ground for the lamp pins.

According to the present invention, the entire socket structure,including the slot arrangement to accommodate the pins on the lamps, thechambers for the lamp bases and the abutments for the lamp protractingsprings, is formed in a single die casting. Such die casting elementsreplace the usual sheet metal, multiple piece lamp sockets employed forthis purpose.

Other and further objects will appear as the description proceeds.

The accompanying drawings show, for purposes of illustrating the presentinvention, an embodiment in which the invention may take form, togetherwith a method of manufacturing the same, it being understood that thedrawings are illustrative of the invention rather than limiting thesame.

In these drawings:

Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a lamp socket, lamp andassociated parts;

Figure 2 is a rear elevational view of a vdouble lamp socket with partsin section on the line 22 of Figure 3;

Figure 3 is an elevational view with parts in section on the line 33 ofFigure 2;

Figure 4 is a sectional view illustrating the lamp and lamp socketassembled;

Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating the path taken bythe pin in entering the pointed slot;

Figure 6 is a view illustrating the mold parts employed in making thedie casting, the mold being open;

Figure 7 is a sectional view through the closed mold, showing thecasting in the mold;

Figures 8 and 9 are fragmentary sectional views on the lines 88 and 99of Figure 6; and

Figure 10 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 1010 of Figure 7.

A conventional miniature lamp is indicated at 10. Such a lamp has ametal base 11, a center contact 12 and two pin contacts 13.

The drawings illustrate a double lamp socket, such as would be employedin the semaphore signal of a toy railroad system. It has two sockets,indicated generally at 20-20, for the lamps. Any number of sockets maybe used and they may be disposed to form various characters, such asletters, numbers or the like.

Each socket 20 is in the form of a recess in a die-cast body 21. Thisrecess has cylindrical walls 22, 22, which occupy less than one-half thesurface of a circular cylinder. These cylindrical wall portions areseparated by slots having narrow front portions 23 and wide rearportions 24. One wall of each slot is straight, as indicated at 25,while the other wall is stepped, as indicated at 26a, 26b and 26c. Theportion 26b forms a reverse angled step, which forms a nose at 27 and arecess at 28.

At the bottom of the socket forming recess is a rear opening 29 andinwardly extending bottom walls 30, 30.

At the front or open end of the socket, the casting is provided withbeveled surfaces 31, 31, which extend to the straight sides of walls 25of the slots. These beveled surfaces do not, however, extend to the sidewall portions 26a of the slots, as indicated at 32. The latter formstops for the lamp pins.

The external configuration of the socket will vary according to the useto which the socket is to be put. It is here shown in the form of atwo-lamp toy semaphore signal, and the casting is provided with visors32, 32, and lugs 33 adapted to receive mounting screws.

A lead wire 35, Figure 1, is secured to a center contact 36 carried onan insulating washer 37, the wire passes through a coiled spring 38 andan apertured insulating washer 39 and the aperture 29 in the casting,and the parts will normally be held in place when the wire is secured toa terminal.

In use, the lamp base is passed into the socket and the pins 13 broughtagainst the beveled surfaces 31. Turning the lamp causes the pins totravel along 31 until, as shown in Figure 5, they abut the side portions26a of the slots. The pressure on the lamp forces the pins in past thenose portions 27 and they readily pass into the recesses 28. The springthen holds the lamp in place.

The socket is made in a die casting mold. The part 50 at the left,Figures 6 and 7, has the desired configuration to form the face of thesocket, including an oblique fillet at 51, which forms the bevel 31 andbifurcations 52--52, shown in cross section in Figure 8. These havearcuate sides 52a and straight sides 52b and a diameter equal to thediameter of the recess 22 of the socket to be produced. The sides 52bare spaced the width of the wide portions 24 of the slots.

The other mold part 53, shown at the right of Figures 6 and 7, has ablade 54 of a width to pass between the straight sides 52b of thebifurcations 52 on the mold part 50. The major portion of this blade isthe central part of a cylinder of larger diameter than the cylinderforming the bifurcations 52, and of the width of the wide portions 24 ofthe slots, so as to form such wide portions. The front end of the blade54 is cut back at the opposite corners, as indicated at 55, to be of thediameter of the bifurcations 52 for a sufficient depth to form thenarrow side portions 26a of the slots, and is beveled, as indicated at56, to provide the oblique surfaces 26b.

When the mold is closed, as shown in Figure 7, the cavity formed by theblade, the bifurcations and adjacent fillets is such as to form thecasting of the desired contour. The remainder of the mold is arranged togive the die casting the desired external contour, fitting it for aparticular use or mounting arrangement.

This application is a division of my application Serial No. 220,404filed April 11, 1951, issued as Patent 2,682,650, June 29, 1954.

Since it is obvious that the invention may be embodied in other formsand constructions within the scope of the claims, I Wish it to beunderstood that the particular form shown is but one of these forms, andvarious modifications and changes being possible, I do not otherwiselimit myself in any way with respect thereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A plural lamp socket adapted to receive and support a plurality oflamps of the type having oppositely extending pins and provide a commonground for all the lamps, said body being in the form of a die castinghaving a plurality of recesses opening in a common direction, therecesses having cylindrical walls, each recess having in the wallsthereof two longitudinally extending, pin-receiving groovesdiametrically opposite one another, each groove having a straight sidewall and a stepped side wall making the inner portions of the groovewider than the outer pora a Y 7 4 tions, the stepped walls includingreverse angled steps I References Cited in the file of this patent intowhich the pins-are movable to ground the lamps when UNITED STATESPATENTS the lamps are lnserted and turned angularly.

2. A plural lamp socket such as claimed in claim 1, 1,796,694 S11v3 17,1931 wherein the bottom of each recess has inwardly extend- 5 1,922,687Juergens et 1933 ing shelves and a wire receiving opening.

